Folding and filling machine



Sept. 30, 1952 s. F. ANDERSON l 2,612,016`

FOLDIFNG AND FILLING MACHINE FEE DIN G MECHAN ISM mVENroR. JM g. W

Sept 30, 1952 s. F. ANDERSON 2,612,016

FOLDING AND FILLING MACHINE Y A f A Filed Aug. 16, 1946 9 Sheets-Sheet`2s. F. ANDERSON 2,612,016

FOLDING AND FILLING MACHINE 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 Sept. 30, 1952 Filed Aug.16, 1946 INVENToR.

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QNSSNDR Sept. 30, -1952 s. BANDERSON FOLDING AND FILLING MACHINE 9sheets-sheet 4 Fild Aug. 1s, 1946 ATT/s.

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Sept. 30, 1952 s.F'. ANDERSON FOLDING AND FILLING MACHINE 9 Sheets-Sheet5 Filed Aug. 16, 1946 9 Sheets-Sheet 6 S. F. ANDERSON FOLDING ANDFILLING MACHINE Illlll' Sept. 30, 1952 Filed Aug. 16, 1946 INVENToR A TT YS.

Sept. 30, 1952 s. F. ANDERSON FOLDING AND FILLING MACHINE 9 SheetsfSheet7 Filed Aug. 16, 1946 mNm S www JN VEN TOR s. F. ANDERSON 2,612,016FOLDING AND FILLING MACHINE 9 Sheets-Sheet 8 INVENTON.

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sept. 3o, A1952 Filed Aug. 16. 194e SePf- 30, 1952 Y s. F. ANDERSON i`2,612,016

FOLDING AND FILLING MACHINE l v Filed Aug. 16, 1946 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 [n'u E v g N s Q I E QM* E?? I N1 I l l s l INVENTOR. .MW *gw Y 5 n X o `QPatented Sept. 30, 1952 FOLDING AND FILLING MACHINE Swan F. Anderson,Rockford, Ill., assignor, by mesne assignments, of one-half to Ralph F.

Anderson, Rockford, Ill. Application August 16, 1946,"seria1 No. 690,883

1 "This invention relates generally to an automatic folding and fillingmachine, particularly to a machine for automatically opening or settingup cartons which are initially supplied to the machine in a 'fiat orknocked-down configuration, folding and interlocking the iiaps at oneend ofthe carton, filling the carton through the open end with apreferred material, and then folding and interlocking the remainingflaps.

The steps of producing certain packaged materials, for example, icecream, have long involved a bottleneck in setting up the cartons by handand in some cases filling them by hand. This hand loperation has beenwastefully s low and, where it included hand filling of the cartons,itwas also wasteful of material since it is inherently less consistentthan the machine in filling each carton to exactly the same extent,thereby requiring either that cut and try methods be employed for eachcarton, or that each be definitely vfilled with an excess to be surethat the carton will contain the specified quantity.

Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide acompact packaging machine which automatically sets up a knocked-downcarton, fills it with ice cream or other material, and then closes thecarton which steps are performed insequential step-by-step fashion inreresponse to the carton becoming lled to the desired degree.

AAnother object of the invention is the provision of a device of thecharacter described whichVv is` of simple construction, has a minimum ofparts, and will operate continuously anticonsistently with a minimum ofservice trouble.

'I'he machine is completely automatic in that knocked-down cartons andice cream are continuously fed into it, and completely packed and closedcartons containing a definite amount of ice cream or other material arecontinuously taken from it.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an automaticpackaging machine for ice cream or the like in which the flow of thatvmaterial is continuous, thereby making it un-l necessary to provideadditional control means to start and stop the iiow; and another objectinv this connection is the provision of a Astructure in which the cartonitself is conveyed through a series of operative positions during whichthe various steps of folding and filling the carton are carried out andin which the carton is moved at the end f the filling step to shear oii.theicey cream iiush withA the top of the carton, thereby,

in efietinakinstheupper edge of thegcartori which shears off the icecream an operative clef-.

a closed and interlocked position as the carton,

is moved alongthe course. y

Other objects and advantages will become ap`. parent fromthe followingdescriptionin con` nection with the drawings, in Which- Figure 1 is aperspective view of `a foldingV and lling machine illustrating onev`embodiment of the present invention; i Fig. 1a is an enlarged view of aportion of Figure'l; Fig. 2 is a front view of the machine shown inFigure 1, cut away -to show the interior'drivf ing means; Fig. 2a is asectional view of Fig. 2, taken on line 2a2a; Fig. 3 isa top viewof themachine shown in Figures l and 2;

Fig. 4. is a rear view of the machine lshown Figures 1 and 2; .i

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are partial top View of the inlet end of the machineshown'n three different ope'ative positions in setting up an initiallyfiat car on;

Fig. 8 is a vfragmentary view of the endrof one of the restraining barsshown in the previous three gures and illustrates how its transversespring-held releasable end portion may be pushed aside to permit thecarton to move past it;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged partially cut away front view of the inlet of themachine showing the means employed tofold and interlock the flaps at thebottom of the carton; e

Fig. 10 is a partial sectional view of Fig. 9 taken along the linel--Ill showing one of vthe slide members which carry the movable pawlsand showing the grooved frame members in which the slide member ismovable;

Fig. 11 is a sectional view of Fig. 10 taken on the line ll-II showinganother view of oneof the pawls; y

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a contoure folding block employed inthe folding of the lower iiaps; y

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of a sub-assembly showing the contouredshell and other parts sur,-l rounding the foldingl block of Fig. l2;

Fig. 14 is an end view of Fig. 13 taken from the left or inlet end;

Fig. 15 is an `enlarged fragmentary View of 3 Fig. 4 showing the normalposition of the lever which is employed to push down the upper leadingflap just before the carton is moved into the filling housing;

Fig. 16 is a view similar to Fig. l5 showing the above-mentioned leverat the moment it is elective to pressthe upper leading napdownas.the.l

carton ismoved forward into lling position;

Fig. 1'7 is a fragmentary front view of the filling housing and theparts immediately cooperating therewith sho-wing the carton in theraised position at the beginning of its filling operation;

Fig. 18 is a. sectional view of Eig,.17 taken on.` the line l8-l8showing a top viewoflth'e lifting,l

mechanism and the switch mechanism which is tripped by the carton whenthe latter is moved downwardly to the filled position;

,opposed surfaces of the rails are formed with pairs of grooves 5l, 52and 53, 54, extending the entire length. ofv the rail in each case.Grooves 5l, 52 have a. slide., member 55 reciprocably mountedthereinandgrooves 53, 54 have a simi- 1ar..slide`. membenu. reciprocable therein.The slides 56 and 56a constitute driving means for the-.cartons and aremovable forward and back- Fig. 19 is a fragmentary front view similar.to

Fig. 17 showing the carton in its lower or illled pqsitionat the timethat the carton is operative to" close the switch and energize themotorto initiate forward. movement ofall the cartons in theimachne:

Fig. 20z is an interior-view of Fig.; 18,` without the'cartonLtakenon'theline 2li-20 showingy the mechanism employed inthis particular casefor moving the carton upward telescopically over the;

end of the nlling nozzle', thefilling nozzle itself notbeing shown inthisview;

Fig. 21 is a view similar to Fig. 20 showing the parts. in the raisedposition;

, `Fig.v122is an enlarged fragmentary top view showing the mechanismfonfclding over'the top trailing lian;

' Fig23is an enlarged fragmentary front View ofthe outlet end ofthemachine showinggthe means' employed :tof fold 'and kinterlock the last`three top flaps;

Fig2 4,is.a perspective viewof a carton of :the

type commonly used for packaging ic'e' creamshowingin openedco-nditionthe various top and bottom ilaps and which this particularmodificationof the present invention is employed to; setv upfclose' theends'offand ll with lce cream or.

other material, and,

P "iggi25,` is aflattened. or `knocked-downv view of. the; carton, of'Fig. 24 showingjthe conditionY in which the `carton is supplied to savespace` in shipment and, storage, this flattened shape being the'.condition inA which it .isreceived bythe machine..

. Referring now inmore detailto the embodi;

ment Qflhepresent invention showninthe draw iIlgS.,.an d referringparticularly to Figure 1,the machine comprises generally a base member2l, feedingmechanism. 22, carton conveying and folding mechanism 23,' a.lling means 24, a manually operable main switch 26, and automaticallyoperable switch means 2'! adapted to initiate operation ofthevdrivingmeans., 28.

The base 2| in the present instance is made of' sheet metal havingopstanding endwalls 29 andifront and back walls 3l, atop or tablesurf'ace 32; .and an interior floor 33. `An intermediate inclinedchannel 3H is formed beneaththe fillille'l means 24 to catch any drop oroverflow when the machineis employed to package ice cream, or similarfrozen liquids. This drip channel 34 comprises a lower surface 36Yinclined at substantially 45 to the vtop .surface 32 and the 'spacedtriangular side walls 31.

The carton conveying and folding mechanism previously generallydesignated 23includespairs of longitudinal carton supporting means orrails' 38', 39.V and 4l, 42 which are mounted above the wardwith oneanother although they are not exactly identical, the slide 56 beingsomewhat longer to facilitate feeding of individual cartons, as will bedescribed'.

Before continuing the description of the carton conveying and foldingvmechanism 23, the carton itself vand the stacking and feedingmechanism'` will be described. Referring ilrst to Fig. 25, the cartonthere generally designated 2li is shownin its flattened or knocked-downcondition in which' it is usually supplied to the manufacturer of icecream and the like to conserve space in shipment and storage. Fig. 24shows the same carton in open or set-up condition so that its body walls58 and 59 form a rectangle. In this view the ends are opened showinglower ilaps a, b, c and d and upper flaps e, f, g and lh. In thepackaging machine of the present invention, the body walls 58 aregripped by theknife edges 6l (Fig. 10) of the rails, and in theparticular modification which will be described, the carton will bemovedv through the machine in the forward direction indicated bythearrow shown in Fig. 2li While thus supportedon the rails; thus, forconvenience in description, the flaps ,b and f may be referred toas"leading naps and a and e may be referred to as trailing flaps. In thesame manner and for the same reascn,`flaps c and d which interlock atthe bottom and ilaps g and h which interlock at the topimay be referredAtol as "side flaps,4

adapted toibe interlocked `by insertion of the lingers 62 within theslots E33.y

The feeding mechanism or carton magazine, generally designated 22, maytake a number of different forms, as will be obvious, and may consist ofany suitable arrangement of parts in which anumber of flat cartons 64,suchas shown in Fig; 25, may be stacked, and from which stack' thecartons will be fed one at a time into the.

machine. In the present instance this part of the magazine is best shownin Figures 1, 2,v 3, 5, 6 and 7. It includes a relatively large Lcrosssection plate 68 having a vertical leg 66 and a horizontal leg 6l.The forward end of the plate' 68 is fastened in any suitable manner, asby attachment to the upright 69 which in turn isl mounted on the tabletop 32;` the Opposed or inlet end will usually `be mounted by brackets(not shown) which are in turn mounted 'on the base;

floor portion 61, is mountedupon a supporting block 'Hl which, in turn,is mounted upon 'the base topy 32. Atthe end of the black 'il ismountted an angle iron I2 having a narrow upstanding wall 13 parallelwith the wall 66 and having 6T. :In the vspacebetween the twofloorportions..

Gland 14.is .a longitudinal angle .memberl formed with an obtuse angle(shown best in Fig.

2);'A having '-a o'or portion 1l normally substan-` tially coplanarwiththe floor portions 61' and 14v arida depending wall 18 to which the.lever member 19 is attachedby means of bolts. The endsofthe members 68,12 and 16 remote .fromY the-machine are supported v.by any suitableVmeans (not shown). The obtuse angle member 16 is `supported loosely tobe capable of a limitedv degree of tilting and forward .and .backwardmovement. The upstanding walls 66 and 13 de. ne `'a lfeeding channelwhich is wideenough'to carryastack of fiat cartons, each carton in thestackzbeing approximately parallel with the rails and slide members, asbest shown in Fig. 5. Thus, it will be seen that when theA obtuse anglemember 161s tipped to raise .its edge 8| slightly upward. andl forward(that is, to the right in Figure 1) the stack of fcartons will be raisedand urged slightly forward. This upward' and forward movement of theedge 8| will be effected each time the slide 56 moves vthrough a.complete forward and backward cycle by the co-action of parts nowto bedescribed. Mounted on the end of the slide 56 is a cam member 82 (seeFigure 1) having a downwardly extendingportion 88 which is .spacedoutward some distance from the slide B. Mounted on the rail 39 is a fiatsheet metal element 84 (shown enlarged .in Figure la); .A notch B6` isformed therein having spaced parallel edges ,81 and 88 which areapproximately at right angles to the axis of the rail 39 (that is,approximately 45 with respect to the longitudinal axis of the obtuseangle member 16). A formed wire spring 89 is supported on one of twomounting bolts 9| and provides some resistance to the movement of thelever 1.9 toward the edge 88 when slide 56 is moved backward. Inoperation the parts just described coactto effect forward feeding actionof the cartons as follows: when the slide 56 is moved forward, the

downward; extension 83 of the cam member 82 is'moved forwardlyover thetop of the lever 19 engaging the surface .92 thereon and merely slidingpast it without effecting any substantial movement of the obtuse anglemember 16 since the latter will merely be tipped forward .slightly Vagainst the resistance of wire spring 89.- In

the backward movement of the slide 56, however,v

the outer surface of the cam extension 83 will engage the end of theextension 93 on the lever 19 and, instead of merely tipping the lever itwill move the entire lever outward along the edge 81 of the plate 84 sothat in addition to tipping the angle member edge 8|- upward intocontact` with the bottoms of the cartons it will also be moved forward.

ward and backward motions.

.Referring now to the operating meansgen erally designated 28, manytypes of drives are available V.for lthis purpose including electric,hydraulic,.and mechanical means. -For the particular vslide mechanismshown, any operating- In this manner, all cartons will thus be edgedforward each `timethe slide .56 is reciprocated through complete for--6j original positions. It will be seen however thatL other specificreciprocating cycles may been. ployedu. Coincidentally with thereciprocation of the slides, the lifting rod 94 (the purpose of which isto be describedsubsequently) will be lifted and lowered once. One meansfor effecting this operation is disclosed more or less diagrammaticallyin Fig. 2. It includes an electric motor 96 hhung fromk a bracket`illmounted on-v thev back wall 3|. Also mounted from one of the. sidewallsin any suitable .way is a combined gear and rack mechanism 9Bincluding a recip. rocable plunger 99 and a pair of crank wheelsor discs|0| and llamounted on the ends of a driven shaft |00; The means 98 isoperated bya .driven pulley |02 which is driven byy a belt-. |03connected to .thedrive pulley. |,04-`: on thef; motorshaft. The motor 9Bis suitably,interlocked with the means 98insuch .a manner.' thatwhenever the switch means 2| is operated once the Acrank wheels |0| and|0 a will be turnedv clockwise through a single revolution and the"reciprocable plunger 99 ywill be moved up and down once to pivot the arm|06 up and down. The. details of this interlocking means are notspecifically. shown but one form which has beenfound satisfactoryincludes a solenoid actuatedy pawl andratchet clutch connection betweenthe pulley |02 and shaft |00. the pulley being driven' continuously bymotor 96 and the solenoid being actuated by switch means 2'|to ,holdtheipawl and ratchet clutch engaged for-a single, com" plete revolutionof shaft |00. Lever arms |09= and. |09a. are pivoted bypins to thecrankwheels |0| and |0 Ia at such positions that clQck= wise movement ofthe.shaft |00 through 'one complete revolution will first move the levers|09 and |09a forward, then backward, andthen forwardagain. rThe lever|09 ispivotally connected at about .the mid-point with lever I| 6 whichis pivotally supported at the bottom of theframe, the upper end of whichispivotally conf nected to the slide 56 by pin ||8. In exactly similarfashion by identical parts, lever |09a is connected to lever ||6a, whichin turn is pivoted to the back slide 56a so the two slide members Workback and forth in exact synchroniza-- tion. Returning now to thedescription ofthe fold-` ing and moving mechanism itself, generallydesignated 23, the inlet end of theslide 56 is provided with a catch lugor iixed pawl |2 (seev Fig. 5) which is moved behind theleading-cartonof the stack |9 when the slide 56 is moved to its backwardlimit (that isto the left in Fig. 5) The thickness of this lug is sufiicent to engagethe front carton and move it forward through thespace between theforward end of the vertical wall 66 and the upstanding column |22, thisspace beingfof such width that only one carton can pass through it at atime. Arms |23 and 23a are pivoted at 24 and |24a on the upper and lowerback frames 4| and 42, respectively. These armsare. urged in aclockwisedirection (by springv |20 shown in Fig. 9) to anormal position shown inFig. 5 where theyare positioned to engage a fiatcarton to open it. Asbest shown in Fig. 8, the end of each of the rods |23y and |23a isprovided with a hinged transverse cap or-r lever y|26 held in. place bythe tension spring |21 suitably mounted within the rod. The rods |23 and|23a, engage1 the carton atupper and lower positions as shownin Fig'. 2land, they serve as restraining'members to open the carton. In"operation they. swing counterclockwise with the movement of Vth'ecar-`tnwhenfftne latten-islrferced againstxthemI-s shownin Figs. 6.1.and '7.-.Insomecases 'it .has hee-121L fund..that1therezs al tendency' for the:dat cari ton .tolbuelele#instead of openinglwhen it is :coin--pressed'between the luggl 2| and the .cap |26." Toravoid this tendencyto buckle, a'. dividing;..mem

formed with. apoin-t which-is' spaced froni'the side?v of the support. I22 about the. thickness ofthefcai'dboard .usedUin-.thecartom so the wirewill beireadily threaded successively betweentthe top. aps hgandle, g(seefFig. 6.) izo-initiateiopeningl the-@carton-l. When. thecarton issubsequently moved..forward.from the'po'sition vof. .F.ig. '1 thecaps-PIZS. will simplybe moved aside'xwhen thev tension' of-sp'ring. 121is overcome, asl shown-fn Fig; 8..I It .will be obvious that thedividingmembeif'i I 28' may.' take a.' variety 'of other forms; forexample, another whichI .have foundto give `sat-- i'sfactor'y results isa. formed sheet or slateinot' shown) having 'its frontportion mounted.to en= gag'ethe. flaps and separate them andhavingits rear .portioncurvedv in .the general direction. of wire *I 28 (Fig. 5). but vnotnecessaril'yfmounted 'on frame member 4|, asis Wire I 28.

ATS bestshown-in Figs.l 3, 4-and 5, a short shaft 33-is pivotallymounted .within-slide aand the At '-thef interiorend; of shaft. |33 ismounteda-'paddle orboss |34' whichhis welded-on that slide.

arm` I 35 :anda't theotherlor exterior' end (Fig. 4) lever 31 having acurved'lowerA surface |38. This-surface |38- is-engageable with asimilarly curvedsurface |39' of cam member 14| which is mounted byscrews onthe-lower rearrail 42 so that forward movement of the. slides5t and 56a' will snap the paddle |36 upward to close the trail'- ingap"a just as the cartoni reaches thefully opened coniiguration 'showninFig. 7 (this isalso stationII, shownin Fig. 2).

Sets Aof four spr-ing pressed identical dogsv or." pawl's; two of eachon Veach slide, move the .cartons step 'fashion from station to stationthrough the folding and filling operations. pawls is shown in Fig. l1somewhat enlarged and comprises a formed piece of metalstrip |42 heldbetween the slide 56a and a coil spring |43 whichv in turn is mountedupon post Md riveted to the slide. verse engaging portion |46 and adiagonal sliding portion I 41 bothof which extend through theslideopening |48. Inward movement of the pawl is limited-by theout-turned shoulder |51)` The pawl lis maintained properly positioned byengagement of its transverse end portion. |55 withinthe slide opening|411. Thus. when-the pawl is moved forward, the surface |46 -will engagethe carton and drive it forward along the rails, but when the slidemovement is reversed, the pawl will be displaced outwardly through theopening |48`as it moves backward-past the carton, the carton havingsuicient resistance against the rails vto .prevent its return. Sets ofsuch pawls slides 56 and 56a..

At the bottom of the rails 39-42, between. stations.' II.. and III inFig. 2, is mounted folding meansv generallydesignated 51 for foldingthe. btto'm iiaps b, c'and d. This folding means is' shownintdetailinFigs. 9, 12,13 and 14. A pair' ofilvertical Y.supportiI-igstruts.. |56. is` .mounted onf- One of these The-metalstrip is formedwith a trans` S; theobttom sides of. :Seand 42.'= freres'site'.rf- |59is supported. between thesestrutsfbyzbolts I 6| A l solidVforming,:bloclii1 62=is provided lwith ay low' er vertical extension jIS3 which` serves to mount"L forming Yblock |62 in the presentinstanceismade'- ofl'alumin'urn in order -to minimize its weightbut'obviously av wide selection` zof other materials would besatisfactory.It is Vformed with'anupperf horizontalv edge |65 :which is' positioned`at-subr stantially the level ofY thewbottom` of ythe' cartoni so thatwhen the-latter is moved across ltthe` bottom flap bwillbe turned upiiitofoldedpo'si--` tion and will ride along the'top surface |66.Z The?-bottoin rear surface |61'ot the block'isarcuately. formed andattheextreme bottomedge' may take' a- -shapewhich. can be" approximatelydescribed `v as'thatof the intersection of? a-pair of :parallel:ycylindrical-1 surfacesA |610#- and I 6112y providihgifa groove,theibottom of whiehllies Ona straightllne |5Sat` their junction.. A:shell- I1| having. substantiallyV the same shapeV as the-rearv erid yof?the-f forming blockjust des'cribedfand'spaced a-dise'V tance therefromand .also having .the'portionsurroundingthev block-extension I 63apertured'asT shown at in Fig; 13,'is mounted in 'fixed positionwithrespect to the'block |625, as byscrews |15 engagingv thestr'uts |58;onto the bottom of the rails 39 and 42. The opposed surfacesi'IIiI` and|10 of the. block I62'and the shell |1'| serve" to guide the carton.naps c and d around inisuchA a manner that they are not only folded intoplace but-the end 62 of iap c'is inserted Withinthe slot" S3 in fap d,thereby inter-loc'kir'ig.naps` c Yaned and completing the closure ofthebottom yof the" carton Spaces |55 are: provided. between the blo'ek'*|62and the leadingvertical portions |611 of the shell? |1| to permitthepassage. oflower side flaps'c and d. As the carton is moved pasti thedevice |51, the iiap' b willy first! be turned up' to'elos'ed` positionby engagement with the block edge |64." Therion further.' forwardmovement, theaps cand dwill follow curved paths defined bysuifaces |61and I 10 which will guide'them to closed positions wherethe extension 52-of flap c'will be engaged within slot 63 of liapd.` In leaving-the?means |51, the'folde'd bottom y.iiaps willbe moved across the'horizontalshell edge |45 to "iron the bottom of the carton flat.

At a--later-sta'ge in the operation 'after thefcar'- ton has been'lled,it will be moved across topi4 folding means,- ge-nerally designated IBD,identical? with the means |51,` including afbloek IIZwandlshell |1101,vwhichv areexaetly the sameA as= |52- and |1| already described, andfiaps j, aand h. will be foldedover and interlocked in exactly the same`manner as described for -flaps b, c, and-df In order that thecartonenter the filling heus-f ing24 in anv open condition'means areprovided` inthiscase to move. top leading flapf down just before -itpassesl beneath housing lower edge por tion |12. In the presentinstance, thisYmea'ns-is provided as follows: a hook-shapedlever|13i(see Figs. 15 and 16) having a turned-end portion|14 (Fig. 3.)engageable withthe flap j is--pivotallyl mounted on .the slide 561ir andv is: carried thereby. The leverr-|13 isnormally-:urgedclockwisedasviewed Afrom-the bacia-in Figs.-15- and 16)about the: pivot -bolt |16 vby means- .of a* spring.. (not shownl. Thevlever |13 has a Flower extension |11 engageable with astationarycam-|18 which# is-mounted-lon -the bottom rail 42 Aloybolts |19;Theparts are solpositioned that whenthe'ifor-r ward movement ofthei-slides and albrings the cartn 'fia'r'the fillinghousing 24,-the'leve'r extension |11 will strike the cam |18 and quickly 'snap thelever |13 down upon the flap f to push the latter beneath the housingedge |12 so it will enter the housing in open condition as shown in Fig.15.

lTo maintain the carton properly positioned between rails 384| and 39-42the horizontal distance between these pairs of rails is slightly lessthan the width of the carton body walls 59 so the carton is slightlycompressed when moving through the machine; and to this end furthertheinner surfaces of the rails are formed concave as shown in Fig. sofour horizontally extending edges 6| are indented slightly into eachside of the carton to hold it properly positioned vertically. Thiscompression of the carton will however -tend to bow the leading bodywall 58 forwardly in some cases and any substantial bowing in thismanner may interfere with the folding down of the iiap f as described inthe preceding paragraph. To minimize this forward bowing or convexityvof the leading carton body wall 58,

means are provided to straighten it substantially justbefore the lever|13 is moved down upon flap f and the carton is moved into prellingstation IV. Referring to Fig. 3, this means here shown consists of apair of similar fingers |8| and |82, |8| being normally urgedcounterclockwise and |82 being normally urged clockwise by suitablespring members (notshown). These fingers |8| and |82 are so positionedon the top frame members 4| and v38, respectively, that they exert abackward, flattening pressure on the leading carton wall 58 when thelatter is moved forward upon them and the lever |13 is snappeddownwardly upon flap f, as shown in Fig. 16.

The lling means previously designated 24 lof cated at filling station Vis best shown in Fig. 2a. It includes a pair of inwardly positionedshoulder members |83 and |84 mounted byboltsxl on upper end portions ofthe supports 48 and 49; A plate |81 carrying the lling nozzle |88 ismounted upon the shoulder members |83|84 in a quick-detachable fashionby wing nuts |89. The bottom end portion |9| of the filling nozzle |88is approximately the shape of and slightly smaller than thecross-section ofthe carton which in this case is rectangular. In thepresent instance, the carton is moved upward, telescopically, over thenozzle, and because of their mating cross-sections, itis maintainedsubstantially centered with respect to the nozzle during the fillingoperation. Vertical guide plates |92 and |93 attached to the shouldermembers ISB-|84, and to the rails, by screws |94 are provided spacedapart substantially the width of the carton body walls 58 to serve asfurther guiding means. A forward guide plate |86 is mounted ontotheshoulder members IBS- |84 by means of bolts |91 and carries a loweroutwardly flared edge portion |12; its ver'- tical edges |98 and |99 arecurved inwardly so as to coact with the flared vertical edge portions28| and 202, respectively, of the sideplatesin guiding the carton sideiia'ps y and h into the housing in open position. The filling means alsohas associated with-it at the filling station, means for lifting thecarton over the end .of the nozzle 88 when the carton is moved into linetherewith. Referring to Figs. 18, and 21, wherethe lifting means is bestshown, a relatively narrow sheet metal strip 283 is formedwith ahorizontal lifting platform 284 mounted on the vupper end of the liftingrod 94, the latter beingguided by a leader 281 positioned within theslot 288 in the guide -plate |92 and also being guided within the slotor channel 289'formed in the downward 4ex",- tension 2|8 of the guideplate |82. The opera.- tion of the various parts will be so synchronizedthat when the slides Sli-58a are moved' to .the forward end of theirstroke to move a carton within the filling housing in linewith thenozzle |88, the reciprocating plunger 94 is :moved once through an upand down cycle to move thev carton up over the end of the nozzle. Thespacing of the guide plates |92|93`is suiilciently close that the emptycarton is slightly compressed ,therebetween and will be returned to theiioor 2 only when the pressure of the ice cream orother material flowingfrom the nozzle |88 forces it downward. [The distance between the nozzle|88 'and the floor 2| is approximately the height of the carton tofacilitate the-shearing 01T of ice cream between end surface 22| ofthenozzle and the -top edge of the carton as the latter is moved forwardafterthe lling operation, as will be described in greater detail. y p

The switch means previously designated 21 .and best shown in Figs. 17,18 and 19 is provided to energize the' driving means generallydesignated 1 28 through one complete operationv each time a carton ismoved downward to its filled position. This switch means includes switch2 |2 controlling the actuation of the driving means 28. vand is mounted`on the table 32 of the base 2|.l For ex-f ample, as mentioned above,the motor 96 may be permitted to rotate continuously, but beY operativeto rotate the cranks |8|` |8|a through a single revolution by theactionof a magnetic or solenoid clutch (not shown) vwhich is energizedby the switch means. Anactuating shaft 2|3 is pivotally journaled in avbushing 2|4 mounted on the downwardly skirted'p'ortion 2|6 of the iioormember 2| A lever 2|1, having an adjustable screw engageable with theswitch plunger 2|8, is mounted on the exterior end of the shaft 2 3 andan actuating lever 2 I9 is mounted on the interior end thereof, theparts being so positioned that .the switch 2 |2 is operated when thecarton has been moved down so the top edge 228 is approximately levelwith the lower endsurface 22|of the nozzle |88, as shown in Fig. 19. Theenergize ation of the driving means in this manner will move a followingempty carton from prefllhng station IV to station V within the fillinghousing, thereby pushing the filled carton out and shear- #l ing off theice cream level with the top ofthe lled carton. When the filled lcartonis moved forward out of the housing, its place is taken-by thelabove-mentioned following empty carton which is moved immediatelyupward over-the nozzle by the lifting `member 283 (Fig.'2( lj)previously described. This position is shown in Fig. 1'?.l Asi themember 20,3 is moved upwardly. its downward. forwardly inclinedextension v:2,22 V(Fig. 2.0) will'likewisejbe movedupwardly-vl and willdisplace the lled carton forward topposition where the latter can bepicked up by the next set ofpawls |53.- AThe filled carto-n will then beconveyed through the remaining steps of folding the top iiapa Meansitoclose :the'top trailing iiap e'beforegthe carton passes the secondfolding means |88,.already described, i's best shown in Fig. 22 and com.prises .an arcuate4 hook member. 223 '.pivotally mounted on pin 224which in turn isfinou'nted on block 226 attached to the top framemember4| by bolts 221. This hook member. 223 Willbe normally pressed to anout-of-th'e-'wayposition (shown in Fig. 3) by spring means notshown; Thepivoted-end of thehook-223has an extension .geraete -228 fengageablewith -a mobile am rsurlace 5229 formed-on the slide 56a so that when thelatter :is movedfforward the cam 229 will engage 'the :extension 228 tomove the Vhook 223 quickly in behind the carton to close flap e, asshown in Fig-22. The carton will then be moved past the folding means|80 for closing and interlocking A'flaps f, y, and h, as alreadydescribed.

In operation, iis-.will be understood that a vnurn- *ber ofcartonswillnormally be moved serially -and in: step fashion through themachine in variious `set-up stages, as shown in Fig. 2, the stations -orin other words, the positions of rest during the rfilling operationbeing indicated by the numerals PI through VIII. To simplify thedescription and :facilitate an understanding of the operation,-however,a single. carton will be traced through 4the machine in thedescription below. Furthermore. while eight separate stages or positionsof -rest `for the carton have been shown in ythis parsticularembodiment.it will be understood that Vcertain of them may be dispensed :with inspecific vcases as, for instance, by combining certain-steps; -forexample, to vminimize the required length of 4the-path ybetween therails 38-.4| and 30-42 the carton may be moved directly from stationIIto station IV eliminating the separatestation III; and likewise stationVIII may be dispensed with by-merely-dropping the-completely folded and`filied-cartonffrom the machine as soon as itis moved from station VII."The-eight stations indicated by the numerals I throughVIII in'Fig.2-show the different conditions* of successive cartons when theapparatus is temporarily at restduring-the time that one of `the cartonsis being -iilled at'station V. While in l.the followingfrexplanation thecourse of a single carton-through theseeight positions will be describedin detail. it will be understood that simultaneous Amovement of all thecartons vto their succeeding stations each time is initiated by theiilling'of the particular carton at station V which moves thatcarton-down-to-trip the actuating arm `ill-9 -toinitiatea single cycleof reciprocation of the slides 56-56a. Referring toFig. 2 :where vtheelements of the driving means 28 are alsoshown Ain'-tlieir positions ofrest at any-one timethata carton isbeing filled, actuation of theswitch`2|2 causes the crank members |01 and lilla to rotate once,Aclockwise, through -a complete lrevolution. The levers |09 and'lllcraremounted on thecrank members |0| and IOIa, respectively, at suchidenticalpositions that clockwise rotation of thelatter in this mannercauses the siides'E-.eBBa -to bemcved in unison, rst forward-when'the-cra-nkpin l lis moved to position X; -then back- ;ward, twicetheforward distance, when the pin ll is moved from X toY; and,`nally,forward ytir-return to the Fig. 2 position. In this' particu-`la-rcase,the'extent of the initial forward movement is so predeterminedthat the empty carton at'station IV will be moved into the fillinghousing in line Vwith the nozzle |88 and the actuation oflthereciprocable plungeri is so timed that when this empty carton is movedinto alignment `with ythe nozzle it will snap the ,carton upwardtelescopically over the end of the nozzle as shown iniFlg.11.

Assume that a stack l| I9 of fiattened lpaper cartonsof the -type shownin Fig. 25, is contained inthe, feed channel 229, as vshown in Fig. 5.The flrstzfeciprocation of the slides V.5S- 56a causes theirs l2 Ltoengage therear edeeof. .the .leading VAfiat carton at 23| and-drivelt-forwardfrom station I to erecting station Il, these positions beingshown in detail, respectively, in Figs. 5 and 7. an intermediateposition where the carton is partially-unfolded being shown in Fig. 6.As the carton is moved forward in this manner, the dividing member |28,which in this case ls -of formed wire, successively separates thetopflaps f-g and e-.h thereby initiating the opening of the carton andpreventing the carton from bowlng in one direction or the other withoutopening. The leading edge of the carton is caught bythe ends of theswingable levers |23. |23a which swing counterclockwise about the pin|24 at the same time restraining the forward -motion'of the carton,causing it to be opened or erected by-applying longitudinal compressionthereto. AJust before the carton is fully opened, that is, just beforeit reaches station II (Fig. '1), the lever |31 carried by slide 56a willbe snapped upwardlyfby engagement with the cam |41 mounted onthe rail42. This will snap the lever or paddlev |35 upward to close the trailingbottom nap a, as shown in Fig. '1. I

At the next reciprocation of the slides 56-56a the carton is moved fromstation II to stationIII (see Figs. 2 and v9) by pawls |49 and ISl; thatis the carton is moved initially 'forward to an intermediate position bypawls |49 and, in the final forward motion of the slides at the-end ofthe reciprocation, pawls |5| move the carton yto station III. Thiscloses the lower leading flap b by engagement with the edge |65 (Fig. 9)of the block |62 and folds and interlocks iiaps c and d as they aremoved across the shell |1|, as shown in Fig'l, the finger 62 of flap cbeing guided into the slot 63 in iiap d. Station III is thereforereferred to as the folding station, and the operation of interfolding orclosing the lower aps is referred to in the claims as the interfoldingstep to distinguish it from the final step of closing the carton. p

At the next reciprocation of the slides the carton is moved totheprelling station IV by pawls |5| andv |52 and into close proximity withthe carton in the filling station, as best; shown in Fig. 15. Near theend of the final forward move- `ment of the carton, the lever |13 on theslide 56a is tripped by the cam |10 on the frame 42 and moves the upperleading nap ,f downward to clear thelower edge |12 of the fillinghousing (see Figs. 15 and 16) so that in the next step the carton willenter the housing in open condition. After passing the cam |18 the lever|13 will be returned by spring pressure to its normal positionshown inFig. 15.

At the initial forward movement ofthe-next reciprocation the carton ismoved into the filling housing 24 by pawls |52 called the fillingstation V. It will then be lifted on platform 204 (Figs. 20 and 2l)during which the cartons open top moves telescopically upward over themouth of `the filling nozzle |88, preferably until theend of the nozzleapproaches the flap a, which is now the bottom ins'de'surface of thecarton.

Ice cream iiowing continuously from the'nozzle now flows into the cartonand the pressure 'forces the newly introduced carton down until it isfilled, at which point it depresses the actuating arm 219 to operateswitch 2|2 and energize the operating means 28. This reciprocates theslides to move the following empty carton forward from station IV whichpushes the filled 'carton forward Afrom ,beneath the nozzle, shearingolf-the .ice

cream iius'h with the carton `surface and replacing the filled cartonimmediately with an empty one. An important phase of the invention liesin the structure which keeps a carton in filling position at all times,making it unnecessary to provide additional means to start and stop theflow of ice cream. As this empty, following carton is lifted by theplatform 204 (Figsl 20 and 21) the upward movement of the forwardoblique extension 222 of that platform will move the lled carton forwardto an extent that the latter can be engaged in the next step by pawls|53 which moves the lled carton to station VI. Just prior to reachingstation VI, the lug 229 on slide 56a (Fig. 22) engages the extension 228of the curved lever 223 and rotates the latter counterclockwise behindthe carton and folds top trailing nap e down into place in the samemanner that ap a was folded into place by lever |36 when the carton wasmoved between stations I and II, already described.

At the next reciprocation of the slides the cartn is moved to closingstationVII by pawls l|53 and |54. In doing so, the carton is movedagainst the member |62a (Fig. 23) which is identical to member |62 (Fig.12) and the formed shell |1|a (Fig. 23) which is identical to formedshell |1| v(Fig. 13). The leading flap f' is folded'in place by movementacross the edge |6411 of the stationary member 62a (Fig. 23) and theside flaps g and h are folded over and interlocked by movement againstthe curved surface of the stationary shell l1 |a.

At the next reciprocation of the slides the carton is moved to stationVIII (see Fig. 23) by pawls |54 and |56- Where at this stage it has beencompletely lled, folded and ready for storage or marketing. While aparticular form of the present invention has been shown it4 will beapparent that certain changes therein will readily suggest themselves toothers skilled in the art without departing from the spirit andvscope'of the invention. Having thus described the invention, what isclaimed as new is:

` 1. Apparatus for automatically setting up, lling, and closing'theflaps of a carton supplied initially nat having four body walls and a aphinged at each end of each wall, two opposed flaps at each end beingformed to be interlocked with one another, comprising spaced framemembers supported on a base and defining for said carton a path ofmovement having an inlet and an outlet. slide means reciprocably mountedon said frame means and having a number of pawls spaced therealongformoving a carton from one to the other stepwise between successivepredetermined positions in said path upon successive reciprocations ofthe slide means, means for reciprocating said slide means, means forsupporting a stack of said cartons in said initially flat condition andfeeding them to one of said pawls so as to be fed one at a time into theinlet of said path, resilient means mounted adjacent said frame membersfor applying a restraining force to the leading edge of a forwardlyvmoving fiat carton operable simultaneously with means for dividing theflaps at one end thereof to eiect the opening of said carton betweensaid frame members in such a manner that one flap at each carton end isa leading flap and one at each end is a trailing flap and the two iiapsat each end which are formed to be interlocked are positioned as sideflaps, a member DOStiOId DI'OX' mate said frame members and movable bysaid slide means for closing the trailing a'p at -oi'i end after thecarton has been openedfa set of stationary members having surfacesengageable with the remaining fiaps at said one end when said carton ismoved therepast so that the lead;- ing nap is first closed and then theside flaps are closed and interlocked, a nozzle positioned above saidpath for supplying material therethrough to said carton when the latterismoved in proximity to it, another member movable by said slide meansand positioned proximate said frame members for closing the trailing napat the other end of the' carton, and another set of stationary membershaving surfaces engageable with the remaining flaps when said carton ismoved therepast so that the leadingilap is rst closed'and then the side'flaps are closed'and interlocked.

2. Apparatus for Vautomatically.setting upfflil.- ing, and closing thenaps of a carton supplied initially nat having `four gdy walls-and a naphinged at each end of sai@ wall, two opposed naps at each end beingformed to be interlocked with one another, comprising spaced framemembers supported on a base and defining for said carton a path ofmovement having an inletand an outlet, slide means reciprocably mountedon said frameineans and having a number of'pawls spaced therealong formoving a carton .from 'one to' the other stepwise between successiveprede'- termined positions in said path upon successive reciprocationsof the slide .means. meansfor reciprocating said slide means, means forsupporting a' stack of said cartons in said initially fiat condition-andfeeding them to oneof said pawls so as to be' fed one atratime into theinlet of said path, resilient means mounted adjacent said frame membersfor applying'a re.- straining force to the leading edge of a forwardlymoving nat carton operable simultaneously with means for dividing theflaps at oneend thereof to effect the opening of said carton betweensaid frame members in such a manner thatone iiap at each carton end is aleading'fiap and one at each end is a trailing flap and the two flaps ateach end which are formed to Abe interlocked are positioned as sideflaps, a member positioned proximate said frame members and movable bysaid slide means for closingthe trailing ilap at one end after thecarton has been opened.`a setfof stationary members having surfacesengageable with the remaining flaps at said one end when said carton ismoved therepast so that the leading flap is first closed and then rtheslide flaps are closed and interlocked, a nozzle positioned above saidpath for supplying material therethrough to said carton when the latteris moved in proximity to it, the end of said nozzle` having a width atleast as great as the width of said carton and substantially coplanarwith the top of the carton when lled so that subsequent movement of thecarton past the nozzle is effec-- tive to shear oil" said material atthe top of the carton and leave the latter filled, another membermovable by said slide meansand positioned proximate said frame membersfor closing the trailing ap at the other end of the carton, and anotherset of stationarymembers having sur-r faces engageable with theremaining vflaps when said carton is moved therepast so that the lead.-ing flap is i'lrst closed and then the side flaps are closed andinterlocked.. f Y

3. Apparatus for automatically setting up, fill-'-` ing. and closing theaps of a cartoni supplied initially-flat having four body walls'and a'amebic hinged ateach-endof'saidwallytwo `opposed fiaps at each.endzbeingiformed to be interlocked with one another, comprising spacedframe members supported on a base and defining for said carton a pathyof movement having an inlet and an outlet, slide'means reciprocablymounted on said frame means and having a number of pawls spaced.therealongfor moving aV carton from one to the other stepwise between-successive predetermined ypositions in -said path upon successivereciprocations ofthe slide means, means for reciprocating said slidemeanameans for supporting a stack of said cartonsinsaid initially` ilatcondition and feeding them to one of said pawls so as to be fed oneiat'atimeinto the inlet of said path, resilient I'neans mountedadjacent ,saidVframe Ymembers for applyingarestraining force to the leading edge oi aforwardly moving flat carton operable .simultaneouslyT with means fordividing the flaps at one end 'thereof .to effect the openingo -saidcarton between isaidjrame members .in such a manner thatone flap ateaehcarton end is a leading flap androne ateachendis a .trailing flapv andthe. two flaps ateach end-which are formed. to be interlockedare.positioned as-.side flaps, a member positioned.proximatesaid framemembers and movable by. said'slidemeansfor closing the trailingcflap:at;` .one end after the carton hasrbeen opened; a Aset of stationarymembers having sur faces engageable with theremaining ilaps at said one:end when said carton is moved therepast so that ithe leadingflapiisfirst; closed and then the side; naps: areclosed and rinterlocked, aVnozzle positioned above said'pathfor supplying'material therethrough;to. said -carton when4 the latter is moveddn line with-itraliftingmember operable toumovezthezcarton telescopieally over the end of thelling nozzle when the carton is moved in line withtsaidnozzlezand-operable `to permit the carton .to move telescopically-awayfrom thenozzle upon. the vsupplying ofmaterial to said carton,meanszresponsive to themovement of said carton toits glled position to'move. said slide means 'to efectzshearingof the material in` said cartonfrom the stream *flowing from .the nozzle by relativefmovement betweentheend of ithe nozzle and a :t1-ailing, edge` oftheV carton, anothermember movable by `saidslide.means-and positioned proximate said framemembers Afor closing the trailing ilap at .the other end of thegcartonrand another set .ofstationarymembers'having surfaces en.-gageable withthe remaining flaps when said carton is moved 'therepastsothat the leading flap is first .closed and then the :side naps areclosed and interlocked. 1

.4. .In vapparatus for: autpmatically setting g up, closing the flaps ofand lling-.a cartonV having both inner and outer closure means at topandbottom, said carton normally being supplied to said apparatus inflattenedcondition, the combination of spaced parallel frame meanssupported otra -base member and dening va pathof movement for saidcarton, intermittently; movable means mounted on said framemeans formoving cartonsstepwise; through` a series oiY operative positions, meansfor feeding said cartons one, ata time into oneend oisaid` frame meansin flattened condition and moving ,it forward upon a stationarydividerfor parting adjacent naps to initiatejt-he opening of said carton, andmeans operative concurrently withsaid forward; movement on said dividerfor restraining vforward movementofthe leading Vedge of saidfcartonftoopemsaid carton` to :a substantiallyl rectangular shapeialeveraetuatedbye:cammovablebyrsaid 'i8 movable rmeans -for'closing .the ktrailingbottoni innerlap after said carton has, been substantially opened to arectangular cross-sectionl a block mountedbelow said frame meanshavingan upwardly facing stationary surface over which `said cartonismoved to close theleading bottom nap. another stationary member having apair of upv wardlyffacing` curved surfaces engageable respectively withthe bottom outside naps to closeand interlock .them when said carton ismovedithereagainst, another lever movable by engagement with a,-cammovable by said movable means :for opening v-the.leadinginner topilap,.a stationary nozzle mounted over said iramemeans beyond theposition where. thesaid top leading vapis opened, means for lifting saidcarton upward telescopically. over thel end of said nozzle 'to receivematerial flowing therefrom when said movablemeans moves said carton to amaterialmeoeiving position in line with said nozzle, said carton beingmoved away from said nozzle bythe material suppliedvthereto, switchmeans operable by the movement of said carton to a-predeterminedposition away from said nozzle for energizing driving means to actuatesaid movable means `to move said carton out of said material receivingposition, a level' actuated by engagement. of a cam carried by saidmovable means for closing the top inner trailing flap when saidcarton ismoved from said material receiving position, a block mounted above said.frame having, a downwardly facing stationary surface over which saidcartonis moved to close the leading topin ner flap, another stationarymember having a pair of downwardly' facing curved surfaces engngeablerespectively with the. top outsideaps 'to close and interlock them when.said carton is moved thereagainst.

5. Apparatus for setting up, supplying material to, and closing cartonssupplied initially at, each havingapair` of closure means, comprisingmeans forsupporting cartons for .movement instep fashion through aplurality of sta`l` tions,` means disposed between the several stationsoperative on the cartonin the order. named for opening said cartonfrom'its initially flat conguration; for interfolding one of saidclosure meansfand for closing 'the other of said 'closuremeansnlling-means for'supplying a predetermined quantity of material tosaid carton subsequent to said interfolding and prior to saidclosing-oi;14 thescarton closure means, said filling means'includinganozzle positioned above the path ofmovement' of .the cartons,v thelower end of thenozzle normally being substantially coplanarwith the topof the 'adjacent carton, driving means for moving said cartons betweensaid stationsfand means responsive to filling of said carton toapreselected level for actuating the drivingl means to effect movementiof `said carton past said nozzle vto shear off saidY material in thelled carton level with the carton top and to simultaneously move` asubsequent carton'into lling position.

"6. :Apparatus for erecting; interfolding,'llling, and closing a icartonhaving'a body and naps' hinged'ito opposite endsv of'the body; thecarton being furnished tothe apparatuses a flattened parallelogram, saidapparatus comprising, stationary means for supporting a plurality ofcartons .for movement, serially'therealong in step fashionlthroug'h aplurality of stationadriving means for moving saidcartons one at a timealong said supporting means from station to sta.- tion, means positionedalong said Lsupporting means to apply longitudinal compression to saidcarton to open the same, means operable concur.- rently with the lattermeans for initiatingthe opening of said carton and preventing bucklingthereof under longitudinal compression, means for closing one end of acarton including means positioned along said supporting means operativein response tomovement of the carton to interfold the flaps atrone endof said bodyfmeans for closing the other end of a carton including meanspositioned along said supporting means to engage the carton afterfilling and interfold the flaps at the other end of the body, meansdisposed at one of said stations for filling the car-i ton with materialcomprising ka spout of approximately the cross-sectional shape of saidcarton body, means for effecting relative movement of the spout and,carton in said one station to -bring the spout into the body of thecarton, means for effecting relative movement of the carton and spout inresponse to the pressure of material entering the carton from the spout,and means for. actuating the driving means in response to apredetermined degree of the lastmentioned movement to move the cartonsforward to the next station and bring an empty carton into said onestation.

'7. In a machine of the character described, means for supporting aplurality of cartons for movement serially in step fashion through aplurality of stations arranged in series including a filling station,driving means for moving a carton from each of said stations tothe nextstation through one step, means for erecting said cartons in response tomovement thereof between cer'- tain of said stations, means includingmeans operative in response to movement of a carton for closing one endof said carton, means including means operative in timed relation to themovement of the carton for closing said carton, means at said fillingstation for supplying ma.- terial to a carton disposed thereat, meansfor effecting relative movement of the filling means and the ycarton ina transverse direction proportional to the degree of filling of saidcarton, and means operative in response to relative transverse movementof the filling means and the carton at the filling station for operatingthe driving means to step all of the cartons forward to a succeedingstation.

8. In a machine of the character described, means for supporting aplurality of cartons for movement serially in step fashion through aplurality of stations arranged in series including a filling station,driving meansfor moving a carton from each station to the next throughone step upon each energization of the driving means, means for erectingsaid cartons in response to movement thereof between certain of saidstations, means including means operative in response to movement of acarton for closing one end of said carton, means including meansoperative in timed relation to the movement of the carton for closingsaid carton, means for filling said cartons at said filling stationcomprising a spout of approximately the cross-sectional shape of saidcarton, means for effecting relative movement of the spout and carton insaid filling station to bring the spout into the carton, means foreffecting relative movement of the carton and spout in response to thefiow of material into the carton, and means for energizing the drivingmeans in response to a predetermined degree of the last-mentionedmovement to move the cartons forward to the next station and bring anempty carton into the filling station.'

9. In a machine of thecharacter described,

means for supporting a plurality of cartons, each having la body and aplurality of closure flaps, for movement 'serially in step fashionthrough a plurality of stations arranged inseries including a fillingstation and a prefllling. station in side by side approximatelyabuttingl arrangement, means for moving a carton from each station tothe next through one step upon energization thereof, means for erectingsaid cartons in response to movement f thereof .between certain ,of saidstations, means including means operative in response to movement of acarton for closing one end of said carton, means including meansoperative in timed relation tothe movement of the cartonfor: closingsaid carton, means-A for filling said cartons at said filling station,com,.

prising a nozzle for supplying a continuous flow ofv material to saidcarton, and means for supporting said nozzle and carton with the mouthof the nozzle substantially coplanar with the top edge of the cartonbody when the carton is filled with material, and .means for' energizingsaid driving means when the carton is filled with ma terial to step saidcartons forward vto a succeeding station and thereby move a carton fromthe prefilling station intothe filling station' to commence filling ofthe succeeding carton and move the top of the filled carton past themouth of the nozzleto shear off excess material above the level of saidtop edge y'of the carton. f

- '10. Container filling s apparatus comprising means supportingcontainers for movement 'in stepfashion through apreselected path, anozzle disposed above said path of movement of the containers forsupplying materialv to the container disposed beneath the nozzle, allifting member'positioned belowthe nozzle operative to raise thecontainer disposed'beneath'the nozzle telescopically over the lower endofthe nozzle forr filling' and operative after raising the'fcon'tainertomove'. downward to permit said container to lower as i the latter isfilled, said supporting means being positioned to support the filledcontainer with the top thereof substantially coplanar with the lower endof the nozzle, and said supporting means after the filling of saidcontainer being operative to engage the filled container and to effectmovement of the filled container ,past the nozzle to shear off thematerial above the level of the top of the container by the movement ofthe top of the container past the lower end of the nozzle.

11. Container filling apparatus comprising means supporting containersfor movement in step fashion along a preselected path, driving meansoperative intermittently to actuate said supporting means to effect saidmovement of the containers, a nozzle disposed above said path ofmovement of the containers for supplying material to the containerdisposed beneath the nozzle,

a lifting member disposed beneath the nozzle operative to raise thecontainer which is disposed beneath the nozzle telescopically over thelower end of the nozzle for filling and operative after raising thecontainer to move downward to permit said container to lower as thelatter is filled, said supporting means after the filling of saidcontainer supporting the filled container with the top thereofsubstantially coplanar with the lower end of the nozzle, switch meansoperable by movement of said carton telescopically away from the nozzleto its filled position to render said driving means effective to actuatesaid supporting means for moving the filled container past the nozzle,and said supporting 19 means being operative upon such actuation toeiect movement of the filled container past the nozzle to shear off thematerial above the level of the top of the lled container by themovement of the top of the lled container past the lower end of thenozzle.

12. Containerv lling apparatus comprising means supporting containersfor movement in step fashion througha preselected path, a nozzledisposed above said path of movement of the containers for supplyingmaterial to the container disposed beneath the nozzle, a lifting memberpositioned below the nozzle operative to raise the container disposedbeneath the nozzlel telescopically over the lower end of the nozzle forfilling, container engaging means located adjacent the nozzle.positioned to engage opposite sides of the raised container and tobearagainst said container sides for releasably maintaining said containerin its raised position and opera-ble to permit the container to lowerunder the pressure of the material deposited therein from'thel fillingnozzle, and means responsive to the lowering of the container beingfilled for actuating said supporting means to` move the lled containerpast the nozzle. t

13. Container lling apparatus comprising means supporting containers formovementv in step fashion through a plurality of stations along apreselected path, a nozzle at the lling station along said path disposedabove said path of movement of the containers for supplying material tothe containerv located beneath the nozzle at the filling station, alifting member disposed beneath the nozzle operative to raise thecontainerat the filling stationtelescopically over the lower end of thenozzle for filling and to retract downwardly `away from the raisedcontainer, container engaging plates located at the lling station atopposite sides of said path of movement of the containers, saidcontainer en- 20` gagingA platesl being interposed in the Vpath ofmovement of opposite sidesl of the container at the liing station whensaid container is raised and operative to exert inward forces on saidopposite sides of the container to releasably main-Y tain said containerin its raised position afterv said lifting member is retracted away fromthe raised containerand operable to permit said container to lowervunder'the pressure ofthe material discharged thereinto from the nozzle,said supporting means after the container is lled,

and lowered supporting the filled container with the top thereofsubstantially coplanar with the lower end of the nozzle, and means foractuating said supporting meansto move thelled container beyond thelling station, said support'- ing means being operative upon suchactuationA to eiect movement of the llecl container past the nozzle toshear 01T the material above the level of the topof the lled containerby the movement of the top of the Yfilled container past the lower endof the nozzle.

' SWAN F. ANDERSON.

REFERENCES. CITED The following references are of record inthe le ofthis patent:

'UNITED STATES PATENTS

